Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: None
Length: 3871 words
Author on LJ: dbskyler, dbskyler
Author Website: Teasopon, AO3, fic tag
Why this must be read:

It's funny, well-written, and fits snugly within Who canon.  It's just the sort of thing the Doctor would do, too.

You know, I acquired that ulster from Gilbert and Sullivan. -- The First Doctor, "Edge of Destruction."  Which begs the question: how did One acquire the coat?  dbskyler answers the question marvelously, complete with Gilbert and Sullivan in-jokes (all explained in the afterword).  Turns out, it happened more than once ...

( snippet of fic )
Fallacy Somewhere (Or: If You Can't Steal a Coat from Gilbert and Sullivan, Then From Which 19th Century Librettists and Composers Can You Steal a Coat?)

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: ~3 minutes
Author on LJ: surya74
Author Website: her LJ entries tagged 'fanvid' and  her youtube channel
Why this must be seen: A gorgeous video from Kowalski's POV about the inevitability of Fraser/Kowalski, full of all the long, lingering looks and shippy moments from the show. The editing is wonderful, and the scene contents and pacing match the music very nicely.

Who Said Anything (About Falling in Love)

Fandom: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Vidder: vysila
Musical artist: " Yes Sir, That's My Baby" by Frank Sinatra
Pairing: Napoleon Solo / Illya Kuryakin
Vidder on LJ: vysila
Vidder's website: Here's her channel on YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass:  If you're on the lookout for a feel good video then look no further! Made for the muncle Wedding Challenge, vysila seamlessly incorporates clips from The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Hustle, NCIS, and The A-Team to tell the 40+ year story of our boys sticking it out together through thick and thin until they're finally allowed to make their union legal. Whee! This video never fails to have me grinning from ear-to-ear when I watch it. Enjoy!

That's My Baby

Fandom: AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 7
Pairing: David Cook/David Archuleta, Neal Tiemann
Length: 2,359 words
Author on LJ: leici
Author Website: the3sunrises

Why this must be read: Where to start with this fic? It's the precursor to one of my favorite fan fictions ever (and I'll get to reccing that one next), but it is strong and beautiful all on its own. Neal's POV is an exercise in peeling away the layers of a unreliable, overly-invested narrator who is coming to his own revelations as he watches a tender moment between his best friend and his runner-up immediately following the American Idol 7 finale. There are moments where this should be incredibly cheesy, and Neal let's us know that emphatically, and yet, it's not cheesy at all. I am still astounded that leici pulls off this moment between the Davids that is cliché on the surface but it is anything but.

By Accident

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Simon/Kaylee (barely)
Length: ~1K words
Author on LJ: hopeful_fiction
Author Website: (or a link to where more of their fic is archived) AO3

Why this must be read: In this, well, simple character study, Kaylee meditates on what she wants in life and on Simon. Hope paints a clear picture of Kaylee as a whole person, not just the endlessly cheery manic pixie dream girl fandom (and, to an extent, canon) often depicts her as.

( The recollection, in her mind, always starts in the same way.  )

Simple

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Vidder: kinoksana (Serenity S)
Musical artist: A Perfect Circle
Character: John Watson
Vidder's website: on YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass:
This takes Mycroft's assessment of John ("You're not haunted by the war. You miss it.") as fact, and illustrates it darkly. I love the song choice, the deadly rattle, and the way Sherlock's interwoven in John's trauma. John's solution? Fine editing, to my non-vidder eye.

War Drums

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: Josh/Donna (mentioned)
Length: 1,657 words
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: profile
Why this must be read: This short 90% dialogue fic gets Toby's voice exactly right, which is rare. The unique quirkiness/eccentricity of this character's thought process is tricky to grasp and even trickier to write, and hardly ever found in fanfiction.

Plus it's genuinely funny without being silly.

Toby's Favorite Elephant

Fandom: X-MEN & ALPHA FLIGHT (Ultimate Universe - aka multiverse Earth-1610 version)
Pairing: Scott "Cyclops" Summers/Jean-Paul "Northstar" Beaubier (mentions of Jean "Marvel Girl" Grey/Ororo "Storm" Munroe and Bobby "Iceman" Drake/Hank "Beast" McCoy)
Length: 28,959 words
Author on LJ: 3jane
Author Website: Jane St Clair on AO3
Why this must be read:
Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a fan of the Ultimateverse. It takes a special sort of story to make me enjoy Earth-1610, and this is that. A Dangerous Man is the last story extant in the Handbasket series which mainly focuses on Bobby/Hank, but this is a story about Scott and his issues. Let me take this opportunity to warn for implied sexual abuse, but don't let that put you off... Jane St Clair has crafted an excellent story about Jean-Paul carefully pealing back Scott's layers of hurt and protection and about Scott making the effort to overcome his fear and to make a friend. Also, hot sex.

Handbasket Detour: A Dangerous Man by Jane St Clair

Fandom: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Pairing: none (Charles/Erik, arguably...)
Music: Love Love by Take That
Length: 3:39 minutes
Vidder on LJ: none
Vidder's Website: The Official Take That Website hosted by Universal Music, or the Take That YouTube VEVO channel

Why this must be watched:
OK, so this vid rec is a wee bit unconventional. You see, I'm recommending the official movie tie-in video of the song Love Love by Take That, who, if you have not heard of them, are THE BEST BOY BAND EVAR, ZOMG!!!1! *ahem* Anywho, the song was featured in the X-Men: First Class movie, and it's, like, totally about mutants (actual lyrics: "You’re at the gates of human evolution, don’t you understand?!"), but it's also about the epic love affair of Charles and Erik... no, seriously, just watch it, it TOTALLY IS.

Professor X/Magneto... even British boy bands and Hollywood movie-makers totally think they had a tragic love affair.

Love Love by Take That

(PS: Um, and, like, all of Take That's other music videos are really awesome, too, the music video for Kidz being one of my especial favorites. ^_^)

Fandom: HAWAII FIVE-0 (2010)
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Music: "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies
Length: 2:54
Vidder on LJ: nel_ani
Vidder’s website: Vid tag on LJ
Why this must be watched: This song is the perfect backdrop to all of Steve and Danny's arguments. Just look at the lyrics:

How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad?
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad...
...I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve
I have a history of taking off my shirt

And, well, we know who has a history of taking off his shirt. ♥ This is hilarious, and the clips she chose are perfect for the lyrics. It was made about halfway through season one, so there are lots of vintage Steve/Danny carguments in here. One of my favorite H50 vids!

One Week

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Length: long
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Candy Apple's Sentinel page
Why this must be read:

As we go into the Halloween weekend, it seems appropriate to rec this story, the winner of the 2004 LMFA for Slash Horror. It's an engrossing read, with a twisty plot that had me on the edge of my seat and staying up way too late so I could find out how it ends. A great read for late Halloween night after the candy's all been eaten and the kids have gone to bed... just make sure you leave the light on... heh heh heh.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice

Fandom: AMERICAN IDOL 7
Pairing: David Cook/David Archuleta
Music: Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap
Length: 2 minutes
Vidder on LJ: snarkyways
Vidder's Website: @ You Tube

Why this must be watched: I am not sure I am coherent enough to write up a rec. I want to do a lot of capslocking with exclamation points but I'm not sure that would be much helpful. Let me say this: choosing just one of snarkyways videos is difficult and I finally decided on this one, her newest vid, because it chronicles FIVE YEARS of a friendship that was unlikely when Cook and Archuleta were together 24/7 for American Idol. There's a gorgeous mix of still photography, clips from American Idol, shots from their various press conferences together (including some beautiful shots from the Manila concert), new footage taken from Archie's vlogs and videos, and Cook's documentary that chronicles making his new album. The sheer joy when they talk about each other leaps into something almost otherworldly when they are on stage together and snarkyways captures the images, creates a cohesive narrative of their journey to and for each other, and basically, brings me to tears with each viewing. A simply amazing video that cannot be missed.

Sweet Disposition

Vidder: humansrsuperior
Musical artist: OK GO
Vidder's website: Vid tag, Neural Cluster, Youtube

Why this vid kicks ass:
River Song is Awesome.  And this is an awesome vid about her.   This is actually two awesome vids about her; the original was made in June, before Let's Kill Hitler aired, using a slightly edited down version of the song; after Let's Kill Hitler aired, humansrsuperior realized that the edited out bit fit absolutely perfectly with the events of that episode and what we learned about River.  The music is perfect, the editing is tight and the clips are fit beautifully to the words and the rhythm of the song.  (There is a lot of fast cutting, if that bothers you stay away)

When they finally come to destroy the earth
They'll have to go through you first
I bet they won't be expecting that

When they finally come to destroy the earth
They'll have to deal with you first and now
My money says they won't know about
The thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes

Invincible, you're invincible
That crushing, crashing, atom smashing, white hot thing
It's invincible

When they finally come, what'll you do to them?
Gonna decimate them like you did to me?
Will you leave them stunned and stuttering?

When they finally come, how will you handle them?
Will you devastate them deliberately?
'Cause I'm gonna guess they won't be prepared for
Thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes

Invincible, you're invincible
That crushing, crashing, atom smashing, white hot thing
It's invincible, so, please use your powers for good, you're invincible

Original Version
Updated Version

Fandom: NCIS
Vidder: Mélanie
Musical artist: Jimmy Eat World
Character: McGee
Vidder on LJ: N/A
Vidder's website: You can find her vids by looking through the "Fanart" column on Team NCIS or you can check her out on You Tube
Why this vid kicks ass:  Even though I'm a Tony Gal, I have a huge soft spot for early season McGee. All baby-faced and wide-eyed and pouty-lipped, feeling overwhelmed and being petrified by Gibbs as well as the poor abused Probie for both Tony and Kate. This video sums up perfectly why I love young McGee so much, and I get nostalgic whenever I watch it. :) Mélanie is, hands down, the best vidder in this fandom, and I love every single one of her vids. But this one? I love just a wee bit more!

McGeek